When pdaEd discovered that Dr. Mark Polishook of Central Washington
University had decided to incorporate PDAs into the curriculum of his college level composition courses, it got our attention. At pdaEd we are especially interested in new and inventive uses for PDA's, and thus we are honored that Dr. Polishook has agreed to share his, and his students', experiences with us and our readers.
This following is the first in a series of interviews with Dr. Mark Polishook. As his project continues through the 2001-02 academic year, we will also feature interviews with his students.
Let's learn about Dr. Polishook's Handheld Composing project.
pdaED:
How did you come up with the idea of using PDA's in conjunction with music composition? Initially, they seem an unlikely pair.
Dr. Polishook:
My primary goal as a teacher of composition and as the director of the composition/theory area at Central Washington University is to help students develop creative technique and artistic imagination. One way to accomplish this is to guide the composers in our program to work in an area without an established common practice. Since handheld computing technology is not integrated into composing curricula, the pairing of handhelds and composition is thus a pragmatic step, one that will, hopefully, inspire students to conceptualize and implement new ways of writing music.
pdaED:
What was your experience when proposing your idea to the University?
Dr. Polishook:
The university administrators and faculty with whom I have spoken have been very supportive. On the one hand, the use of handhelds as mobile composing workstations will further the study of composition. On the other, handheld usage provides a fascinating way to promote critical thinking and to explore learning styles and teaching strategies.
pdaED:
How have students responded to the idea of PDA's in their music composition classes?
Dr. Polishook:
Our composition students, many of whom now use computers in sophicated ways, are intrigued by the opportunities that handhelds present. The students recognize that the extreme portability of handhelds provides new and perhaps unique artistic opportunities. At the same time, they're realistic about the capabilities of handhelds which, as regards processing power, are not commensurate with desktop computers.
pdaED:
How many students will register/participate in your classes, and are they undergraduate or graduate level students?
Dr. Polishook:
Twelve or thirteen students will participate in the project. Most will be undergraduates, but a few may be graduate students.
pdaED:
Each student will have their own Palm OS devices and software to accompany their hardware, but will you be teaching with a Palm OS device of your own as well?
Dr. Polishook:
Yes. I'll create composing demonstrations on my own handheld. I anticipate that such demonstrations will spur very lively debates about the appropriate role of technology in artistic process.
pdaEd:
What kind of hardware and software will the students receive?
Dr. Polishook:
The students will use Palm VIIxs with miniMusic software, SG-20 midi modules, WordSmith software, and Palm keyboards. The miniMusic software will permit students to compose and notate their musical works. The SG-20 midi modules, in conjunction with the miniMusic software, will let students audition the music they write. The WordSmith software and the Palm keyboards will allow students to do word processing.
Another piece of software which may be included in the project is a freeware implementation of the Scheme programming language called LispMe. I may use it to write short programs so the students can compose with algorithms such as could be adapted from fractal geometry, to name one such example. And there are other tools we might adapt, such as MPEG3 players.
The students will interface these various components with equipment in our music department computer lab in order to print finished scores for the performers who will play their compositions. They'll use the lab equipment to make edits in their scores that might not otherwise be possible on the handhelds. And they'll control MIDI synthesizers and other sound-generating hardware with the handhelds - which will be particularly interesting in concert settings.
pdaED:
What rolls do you think the PDA will be especially successful in fulfilling?
Dr. Polishook:
Students will have anywhere, anytime computing. This will allow them to capture their ideas at the moment they occur without having to use desktop computers in computer labs or dormitories.
Some students will find that the playback capabilities of the handhelds and midi modules will minimize their use of a piano as a tool to hear the music they write. This is significant because the interface of a piano, that is, its keyboard, has long been recognized as a factor that shapes the composing process. The handhelds, with their own unique interface, may thus help students to become more attuned and sensitive to such influences.
Students will also be able to collaborate by beaming data to each other, as opposed to e-mailing files from desktop machines or physically sharing in-progress scores in manuscript form. This may make networking and partnering more convenient and thus more apt to occur.
pdaED:
What are the main goals that you would like to accomplish with the use of PDA's while teaching your composition courses?
Dr. Polishook:
The goal of the project is to explore how handhelds can help composers to re-conceptualize artistic practice. Said another way, how have composers traditionally worked? How might they work in the future? How do the tools that we use, such as computers, handhelds, pianos, and other instruments, influence the tasks for which they're intended? Will the handhelds transform artistic practice? And, if so, how?
pdaED:
Do you foresee the use of PDA's gaining greater popularity and perhaps even spreading into other areas of the arts?
Dr. Polishook:
The answer to your question really depends upon the needs and interests of artists. Certainly, artists across every field, in almost every era, have explored the media and techniques of their time. And this now appears to be true with handhelds. For example, several WWW sites with information about the musical applications of handhelds now exist. There are performers who use handhelds as instruments in concert. There are probably digital media and performance artists who use handhelds as an artistic medium. E-books on handhelds present intriguing possibilities for writers. I've also seen calls for critical essays that address handheld art and PDA-based works of art. Each of these examples presents one aspect of a larger profile of handheld usage across the arts.
Dr.Mark Polishook, who directs the CWU composition program, is an active composer and jazz pianist. He has been a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in Poland at the Electro-acoustic Music Studio at the Krakow Academy of Music, a Visiting Composer at the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE) at UC-Santa Barbara, and a resident artist in the Television/New Media Center at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
Dr. Polishook's HandHeld Composing project is supported by a Proof of Concept grant from the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium. For further information, send an e-mail to Dr. Polishook or visit his HandHeld Composing site.
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